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Cathy and Ashley become debutantes
In this celebratory episode, Ashley Asbury Harper; Maggie Harper Atchley; Cathy Watkins; Courtney Sue Forson; Ellie Forson and an unwilling Jolie Forson have a debutante ball. The girls get help from newcomers The Schroeder sisters, and their aunt, Lady Josephine St. Claire and despite the attempted derailing of the ball by the always egotistical Jennifer Barrett, the evening goes off well and it goes without a hitch! Even Jolie has a good time and embraces being a debutante! SCENE The huge ballroom at the Copley Plaza Hotel. The Harper family is preparing for the debutante ball. The family was placed in charge of the ball this year as the six girls of the family are preparing for their debutante seasons. This is a tradition for the family. Adam is helping with the decorations, and Dylan is a nervous wreck. He wants this perfect for his little girl. DYLAN: Honey, are you all right? Is the cleaner back with your dress? If he isn't, I will sue his cleaning company. For everything he has, including his pressing equipment! I hope the dress is beautiful enough. ASHLEY (amused): Dad, I have the dress in my bag. It is in the changing room. Don't worry. I know you want this to be perfect. I am fine. It is the most beautiful dress imaginable. DYLAN: I am sorry, honey. This is the first debutante party I've ever thrown, and since it is for my own daughter, I want it to be perfect. Forgive your father for being a perfectionist. ASHLEY (affectionately at her rattled dad): I know. And I love you dearly, Dad. (Enter Lila. She is compassionate.) LILA: Dyl, she looks beautiful. I know you are worried, I can tell. But I think she will be fine. My sisters and I have gone through the debutante season when we lived in London. If you want to, we can help them through it. I also know someone who can help too. DYLAN: My sisters went through it as well. Sheila was lovely in her debutante dress. Maybe you all could be good to help her. Who else could help you as well? LILA: Our aunt Josephine. Lady Josephine St. Claire. She is a countess who lives here in Boston. I can call her. MELANIE: We will be glad to. MIKAYLA: And we can give a hand as we can. DYLAN (relieved): Thanks, ladies. I feel so useless to things like this. LILA: It's fine. I can tell you are rattled. SHEILA (putting her arm around Dylan): That is where we come in, honey. Don't worry. We've got this sewn up. DYLAN: Thanks, sis. I love you lots. SHEILA: I know, dearest. (Sheila leads the female cousins to the dressing room. They are getting ready for the dance. Rose is also helping out. Also, Lila's aunt, Josephine St. Claire, came in, and is helping the girls look beautiful. Still strikingly beautiful, Josephine was Lila's father's sister.) JOLIE: This is so aggravating. I am no debutante. At worst, I'd more likely end up in a fight. JOSEPHINE: I know, my dear, and I don't blame you for that, but at least give it a whirl, for us. JOLIE (ruefully): For you, I will try this, although I do not like it. JOSEPHINE: You never know, Jolie. (She gives the skeptical Jolie a smile) You might well like it. ROSE: Josephine is right, Jolie. I didn't like the season, myself. But I adapted and got to like it. I recall my coming out party. Dad and Mom went all out and all overboard. Or was that Aunt Michelle? SHEILA (giggling): It was my mother who was fussing over all the details. Her and grandmother Harper. ANYSSA: Be fortunate, Jolie. You are getting a debutante ball. I didn't have a formal coming out party, as I was splitting time between Plaisance Academy and Harper Academy at that time, but Mom and Dad had something set up when I came back to OKC. Your Aunt Susie helped me out immensely. JOLIE: I feel so awkward. MELANIE: So was I, when I came out. LILA: I remember some of the balls we went to in London. Mikayla looked beautiful when she went to her first ball. MIKAYLA (blushing): Oh, Lila. MELANIE: I remember that ball gown that Mother got for you, Mikayla. It was beautiful. Very pretty. JOSEPHINE: They're right, darling. You looked so beautiful. MIKAYLA: White washed me out, Mel. Even Mother knew that. LILA: Yes, but you still looked darling. ROSE: Hey, gals. Do you remember Lois Williamson? SHEILA: I sure do. Her coming out was beautiful. LILA: Who was she? ROSE: A girl that Sheila and I knew from our days at Harper Academy. She and another girl we knew had their debutante seasons at the same time. SHEILA: I remember. Dominique Morrissey as she was known then. She is called Dominique Gordon now. Dominique lives in London. She lives in the Mayfair area. Dylan knows her well, they palled around a lot when she was in school. She's married now, and lives happily with her husband, Andrew Gordon and their three children. She runs her house very well. ANYSSA: I remember you all telling me about that. Although at that time, I was more at Plaisance, didn't a girl named Julie Tatnall nearly sink it? ROSE: Yes, I remember that. And you're right, Nyssa, she did try to sink it. Julie was jealous of Lois and Dominique. She was expelled from school soon after, because she had been caught with drugs in the girls bathroom. COURTNEY SUE: Wow! All that happened to you all, Aunt Rose? ROSE: Yes, it did, honey. We had a wild coming out season! JOLIE: So, you think I will be all right? JOSEPHINE: Yes, my dearest. I think you will. I know you feel awkward now, but I think you will be very good. (Jolie feels relieved. Enter: Wendy. Rose and Sheila's mother. She is rattled.) ASHLEY: What's wrong, Grandmother? JOLIE: What's going on? WENDY: I am sorry, darling. But Jennifer is in the ballroom. She is giving Dylan a lot of problems. And you know how nervous Dylan already is. She's pushing him to the brink. ROSE: Good grief. Can't she leave us alone? SHEILA: Damn her! If she hurts my brother, I will kill her! I will choke her and silence her foul tongue! LILA: I will help you out with her. MELANIE & MIKAYLA: So will we. (The women go out to the ballroom, where they see Jennifer ranting and raving as usual) JENNIFER: This is not good enough! Far from it! This is a party for ME! This is supposed to be a shrine to ME! I want a HUGE picture of ME! Those girls don't need this fuss! I DO! DYLAN: My GOD, Bitch! Do you think you rule everywhere? Get out of here! JENNIFER: NO! ADAM: Get the hell out of here! If you don't leave, I will throw you out! JENNIFER: Make me leave, fag! DYLAN (enraged): If you don't leave, I will.......! (Enter the women. They are furious) JOSEPHINE: Just what do you think you are doing?! JENNIFER (snobbishly): What's it to you? JOSEPHINE: Don't you talk to me in that manner. JENNIFER: Oh, REALLY?! And who the hell do you think you are?! Royalty?! JOSEPHINE: As a matter of fact, that is EXACTLY what I am! I AM royalty! More than you are! JENNIFER: I am never getting out here! LILA: Jennifer, leave this room immediately! MELANIE: Or you will be arrested! JENNIFER: Who would dare to arrest me?! ROSE: You dare to ask us that? WENDY: You get out of here. I will not let you destroy my granddaughters' coming out party. MAGGIE: Please, Grandmother, allow me. WENDY: Are you sure, honey? MAGGIE: I am a lot stronger than I look, Grandmother. Don't forget, I am a Harper as well as an Atchley and a Bennett. WENDY: All right, darling. JENNIFER: Why should I listen to YOU?! I am entitled to be here anytime I want to! MAGGIE (sharply): I do not agree, MISS Barrett! You have no business here! You were not invited at all, this is a private party, and you have no right or any business commandeering it! You've nearly made my uncle have a nervous breakdown! Have you NO shame at all anymore?! You evil tart! JENNIFER: NO! I do NOT have any shame! Nor do I have to have any! I am Jennifer Barrett, and I can do what the hell I want to! I will make sure you Harpers are finished once and for all! And I will be supreme! MAGGIE (angrily): We'll see about that! You've underestimated our family far too long, Madam! And it will come back to haunt you truly! JENNIFER: No, it will not! I will be the winner! Not you! (Enter Mrs. Amberson. She is the senior housekeeper of Dylan's townhouse along with Amelia Stansberry, Dylan's long-time female servant. She also helps with the girls.) MRS. AMBERSON: What is going on here? JENNIFER: None of your business! MRS. AMBERSON: That is where you are wrong, Madam! It is my business when you are harassing my family! Especially my girls! JENNIFER: I don't know why you think so! This is supposed to be a party for ME! I can do ANYTHING I want to! Because I can! I even went out and bought myself a whole shoe store since that stupid brat of Anyssa's was planning on buying some shoes! (Jennifer smiles smugly. The entire room is disgusted with the depths of Jennifer's unbridled greed and selfishness!) ANYSSA: You stupid SLUT! Buying a whole shoe store because Ellie wanted some shoes and you were not going to share?! JENNIFER: SHUT UP! I DON'T HAVE TO SHARE WITH ANYONE! I AM JENNIFER BARRETT! I have the right to do whatever I want! SHEILA: No, it is YOU who will shut up! Now, you will either get out of here, or I will see to it that you are locked up for the rest of your unnatural life. JENNIFER: Oh, really? MRS. AMBERSON: I am ordering you to leave! JENNIFER (snobbishly): You are a mere servant. I don't have to listen to you! Kiss my feet! MRS. AMBERSON (horrified): Never! I don't have to do that, do I, Mr. Harper? DYLAN (reassuring his housekeeper): No, Mrs. Amberson. You don't have to degrade yourself to that miserable slut! JENNIFER: You show me respect! DYLAN (furiously): Don't you start yelling about respect, since you just disrespected my head housekeeper! For one thing, you will treat her with respect! She may be "only a mere servant" to your snobbish view, but she is more than that to me and my family! She is also a part of my family! We treat our servants like they are family, and in a way, they ARE extensions of my family! And I warn you right now, Woman, if you EVER say anything less than respectful towards ANYONE in my family, no matter WHO they are, then I will see to it that you are completely destroyed! JENNIFER: Burn in hell! ADAM: No, slut! It will be YOU who burns in hell! JENNIFER: I am not going to stand here and take this abuse! I think I am just going to HAVE to call the police! MELANIE (acidly): No, you will not! JENNIFER: What the hell? You can't tell me what to do! MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Well, I CAN! (It is Cliff Atkinson) JENNIFER: Another idiot! When are you lot ever going to learn that I am better than you are?! CLIFF: Get out of here, Barrett! You are not welcome here. (Seeing the glares of pretty much everyone in the Harper's circle, Jennifer sees the writing on the wall!) JENNIFER: FINE! I Will get out of here. But you have not seen the last of me! (She grabs her coat and storms out of the hotel.) CLIFF: Now, she will no longer be around here. SHEILA: Thank you, Cliff. CLIFF: You are welcome, Sheila. Now, you all enjoy. (The party begins in earnest. Maggie, Ashley; Courtney Sue; Ellie, Cathy and Jolie are having a lot of fun. Jolie realizes that everyone was right about a debutante party. Even she realizes that she can still be a lady and be the tomboy she feels more at home with. She gives Lady Josephine a grateful smile, which she returns. The families bond. Dylan gives a grateful smile to Cliff. He also sends a grateful smile to Lila, Mikayla and Melanie. They smile back while Lila gives him and his sister a wink. The scene fades.) Category:Episodes Category:Episodes featuring Dylan and Sheila